OBEY GIANT!

Uber awesomeness to the highest level.

"no standing any time"

wtf?
get down on ur knee's!

I can see it now, someone will misread that mural and call the cops on somebody who fits the description

I know that I am most likely the only person in the world to never play any of these games. Are they really all that? I always thought that you killed cops or beat women in the games. If so, count me out. Otherwise I need to play catch-up!

thats pretty damn impressive considering the size and scope of the project.

I still wish that it could take place in a fully accurate NYC. It'd be amazing to cruise around the neighborhoods you know.

@RedSkysatNight: Its less about killing cops and hookers and more about playing scenes from movies the games were based upon. Its good fun but it can be a bit buggy and tedious depending on the mission. Vice City probably had the most charisma out of all the titles if you're planning on trying them.

The graffiti below fits...

"Looks like the GTA hype-machine has gone into overdrive."

Good the game will be great. I will play the game until my the blu-ray disc melts.

You can slap Grand Theft Auto 4 into anything and it will sell, at least, 15M copies, and be scrutinized by the media.

@DasKonstruct: Thanks. I want to try one prior to GTAIV coming out, but don't care for shooting cops or beating women. I tried Kane and Lynch and stopped after the first cop shoot-out. Sold it on ebay. That type of violence just isn't my thing.

@RedSkysatNight: That is only if your bored or don't want to play the story or side missions.

@DasKonstruct:
I thought it was about BMX biking. I called San Andreas "Carl Johnson's Pro BMX."

the three posters I've seen are the most distasteful. They look almost like real wanted posters til you actually read it, and even then it is tongue in cheek.

not quite as bad as the bloody manhunt 2 hospital bracelets or the nazis marching in front of the white house poster from turning point, but what the hell is up with marketing people in general lately? Even commercials on tv are scary lately.

Greatness...

GTA viral marketing? Are you fucking kidding? We don't neec a crime increase.

@Grumps: I agree, your going to scare the elderly folks who think GTA stands for an insurance company

@marklip: Roger that!

@Sparx: I agree some one is going to think that thing is real!

@JohnnyD57333: I feel bad for the people living in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) in Ontario (Canada).

Woo-hoo!

@RedSkysatNight: Though I do think the GTA games are far more than just mindless violence (I absolutely love the countless movie homages and often witty critiques on society) , I still must warn you that they are heavily based on the movies depicting organized crime that influenced the creators:
Godfather, Goodfellas, Scarface, Boyz n the Hood and many more.

If you're familiar with these films (or organized crime as depicted in films in general), you'll understand how police are regarded. Killing cops, army reserve troops, etc. might be part of the missions, but the game is largely setup as a sandbox where you control the level of violence.
---------

Slightly off topic, but I'd love to see some "The Departed" references in GTAIV

Clearly the mafioso will have its Goodfellas roots (as seen on Phil's preview video), but Scorsese's newest work would fit perfectly in this new modern setting.

@RedSkysatNight:

While that isn't the point of the games, I'm not sure I fully understand your objections. I mean, I can see having a problem with beating women, but killing cops? What's wrong with that (at least in the context of a game)?

How exactly does a game NOT live up to an ad campaign? A giant image of the character's face is hardly a guarantee that a game is good.

In case anyone hasn't noticed, this is in the exact same location as the previous ad in Chinatown. [kotaku.com]

I haven't been to Chinatown recently, so I didn't see this ad in person yet. However, I saw the two guys they hired to paint in action! They were working on the lollipop when I got there.

The more you know!

@RedSkysatNight: It's not like you HAVE to kill cops and woman.

@RedSkysatNight:
I loved all GTAs. GTA3 (Godfather, Scarface etc), Vice City (Miami Vice, 80's cop shows ), San Andreas (Boyz In the Hood, Juice etc), great soundtracks and fun game even if you don't feel like doing a mission (and there are tons of missions!) you can just drive any vehicle you see, tons of cars, helicopters, bikes, bicyles etc. If you kill innocent pedestrians police most likely be after you and you have to find hiding spot, you won't get away litely going around and just killing people for fun.

GTA4 is my most anticipated game of the year, no questions asked :)

true viral marketing involves zero paid advertising. that's just too risky for companies, though.

@SageofAnacostia: It's a respect thing! They put their lives on the line every day, so that I don't have to. So that I can sleep better at night. So that my wife and son don't have to deal with the filth that police/military officers do. So that you and I can sit at home and play our video games. I respect God. I respect the flag of the United States of America. I respect my elders. It's and attitude with action. Not just an ideal that sounds good. I'm not showing respect to police/military if I go around killing them in games. That is just wrong!

Again restating that Rockstar Games, thought under pressure and always on the look out and being shunned but parents is and always will be the massive giant enigma that they are when releasing games, especially games like their most memorable series to date GTA...

Yeah, they have those posters of the same style up in GameStops. Guess I'll start seeing them on the sides of buildings here in Brooklyn and Manhattan.

Spring and Canal? They're not next to each other or intersect at all....

@RedSkysatNight: Don't buy it, don't play it. You won't like it.

Building is actually on Greene St at Canal (NW Corner) for those who are actually in the city and want to check it out. Gamers should also figure these streets out b/c you'll need to know 'em for GTAIV pretty soon.

Spring and Canal dont intersect. It doesnt matter but it does.

@RedSkysatNight:
I respect the police and military and what they are doing out there. It has no effect on what I do in GTA as the way I look at it, it isn't reality. I am a law abiding citizen and would take no pleasure in taking an innocent life. But the GTA games are a blast to play and are like crime movies more than a senseless killing sim.

I would say that you rent it just to see what it's like and then pass your judgement. But I completely understand the way you feel.

I feel realllly fucking sorry for anybody that happens to look like that guy from the game.

@Kaspian_Ace: @alwaysinit: Actually, Spring & Canal both come to a head at the West Side Highway. On one side of that building is the western beginning of Spring St., on the other side of it is the western beginning of Canal St.

They just out in different directions from there.

@gamadaya: lol it could be if you use the code for super bunny hop XD

@baked ham: Uh that would be Canal and West Side Highway which is why Spring and Canal is still technically incorrect. splitting hairs.

@heretrix: I'll do that and give it a try. Thanks for your input!

@RedSkysatNight: I salute you for carrying over your morality into the game. The games are a blast to play, but I think you wouldn't make it through without killing some cops. In fact, I believe it's San Andreas where your main opponent is a crooked cop, and you don't make it through the game without taking out some of his co-workers. When your role through-out the game is as a criminal, it's not easy to be friends with the boys in blue.

The best advice would be to give it a rental; that way you won't have to waste your time on eBay later.

@skrame: D'oh. I didn't see the response by heretrix. Ignore mine.

i was sure we would not see the hype machine until November when gears 2 is out. all praise and glory to the hype machine!
I am sure I'll play GTA IV at some point.

Man this is full of win.

totally had to write up this mural on www.consolepatrol.com the GTA marketing campagin has been great so far all it needs now is a commercial with White Rabbit or Mad World in a commercial.

@RedSkysatNight:

you can get a copy of almost any of the games quite cheap now, san andres is the only one that might be a bit hard to come by. give the games a try they are fun, and can serve as a proper anger management tool.
If it were not for GTA III then I may not have made it through a brutal software release...shooting old ladies in the knee with a sniper rifle saved my sanity.

Is Manhattan the only place on Earth this game is coming out in or am I supposed to "see" this advertisement through radio waves beamed into my head because I'm pretty sure advertising would probably work better if everyone could see it and not just the people in one city.

This mural is actually right outside my studio window. It's Greene st. and Canal. And Rockstar has done murals there for a while. Two previous GTA4 ones and one for the Warriors.

@KirbyMorph: ^what the fuck?!

they do this all the time.. with your logic, adverts in times square will be useless.

+ it's not aimed at you, but the casual gamer.

@Sloth:
Crap. I've only worked down there for two years; you'd think I know the difference between Spring St.& Greene St.

WTH does ANTED mean?

Yeah you do. Count me in!@RedSkysatNight:

Yes, great art and more criminal acts. I can't fucking wait, let the killing and hustling begin. Hehehe......

damn i gotta shoot down to canal and check this out. been to bus working in midtown. this is digi-cam worthy.

cool I want one!

False corporate graffiti makes Horsefly ill.

drove by this today. saw it at night though for two seconds. didn't think it was finished.

@RedSkysatNight: Don't play it , you'll hate it . The best part of the game is running from cops while mowing down pedestrians. There's minigames where you try and stain all the white stripes in the American flag with urine before burning it and one of the last missions in Vice City involves the second coming of Christ as an 80's coke fiend.

@PJK: lol dude...lol

@RedSkysatNight:

Meh, I suppose this is where I differ from you. I thoroughly enjoy taking down cops because I don't respect them in real life. If they were there to "protect and to serve," I could respect them, but when they call them "law enforcement," respect is suddenly lost. I can't respect people who enforce laws I don't agree with.

how much do you want to bet that someone calls the police saying that their neighbor matches that..er..mural?

ohh..the lulz that will ensue..